USF St. Petersburg is an urban university that aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the city and region, enhancing opportunities for students, businesses and the public. This community roundup series highlights the ways that USF faculty, staff, students and administration are active in the community. If you’d like to engage with USF St. Petersburg, or are a campus staff, faculty or student interested in engaging with the community, please contact Caryn Nesmith, Community Relations Director.
Preserve the ‘Burg Honors USF St. Petersburg
On May 15, USF St. Petersburg received the 2025 Preservation Award at a ceremony organized by Preserve the ‘Burg. At the event, community members gathered for an evening of music, food and recognition of the people and projects preserving our city’s character. USF received the award in the “Stewardship” category for its ongoing commitment to maintaining and honoring the historic Williams House, a beloved landmark on campus. Built in 1891 by General John C. Williams, the Williams House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It has been a landmark on the USF St. Petersburg campus since 1995, when it was moved to 511 2nd Street South, and has housed offices for departments such as History and Philosophy. This recognition places USF among a distinguished group of awardees who help protect St. Petersburg’s unique identity and sense of place.
Experts share strategies to fight against human trafficking
Scholars, advocates and front‑line practitioners convened at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus for the "Risk to Resilience: Innovations in Human Trafficking Research and Response" colloquium on April 25, a full‑day program highlighting data‑driven strategies for fighting human trafficking. This is the 11th annual colloquium hosted by the Florida Mental Health Institute. The institute, led by Executive Director Kathleen Moore, explores a new, relevant issue each year. The symposium featured keynote presentations by Joan Reid, associate professor of criminology and director of USF’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab. Reid spoke on the lab’s first five years of work, emphasizing statewide projects that support survivor services. Teresa Kulig, associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and co‑director of the Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab, shared findings from national self‑report surveys that reveal that sex‑trafficking victimization is often missed by official data. Then, a panel on collaborative approaches to combat human trafficking followed, moderated by Shelly Wagers, associate professor of criminology and director of USF’s Bridging Resource and Information Gaps in Human Trafficking (BRIGHT) Project. Learn more about the symposium.
USF St. Pete Bulls Business Community Gives Back to Local Neighborhood
In early May, students from the USF St. Pete Bulls Business Community (BBC), part of the Muma College of Business, participated in a neighborhood clean-up to support the Thirteenth Street Heights community. In partnership with the Thirteenth Street Heights Neighborhood Association and Keep Pinellas Beautiful, five BBC students volunteered their time to help beautify a local park and nearby streets. This initiative was spearheaded by Andrés Cintrón, career counselor for the Muma College of Business in St. Pete and president of the Thirteenth Street Heights Neighborhood Association. Deeply involved in civic efforts throughout the City of St. Petersburg, Cintrón organized this project as a way to connect USF students to the broader community and encourage civic engagement through service.
Partnering with Florida Humanities on Hurricane History Event
Do Tocobaga mounds protect the Tampa Bay area from hurricanes? Where did this urban
legend come from and what does it tell us about ourselves? How did Floridians of the
past prepare for hurricanes, and how does that compare to our experience of storms
today?
On April 26, Judy Genshaft Honors College faculty member Catherine Wilkins participated
in an event that tried to answer these questions and more. Echoes of the Land, hosted by Florida Humanities as part of the nationwide 2025 Being Human Festival,
brought together Dominick Tartaglia, the State of Florida's resident folklorist, Rui
Farias, executive director of the St. Pete Museum of History, and Wilkins for a conversation
focused on hurricane folklore, history and preparedness. The event included guided
tours of a Tocobaga archeological site, as well as the opportunity for guests to contribute
their own hurricane experiences to an oral history project. Wilkins will continue
collecting hurricane stories from community members as part of ongoing research to
explore the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton on Pinellas County.
Supporting City Leadership Training
Since fall 2025, USF St. Petersburg staff and faculty have partnered with the City of St. Petersburg to support leadership development for city employees. Leading the Foundations of Leadership 2.0 course training sessions were Ashley Curtis, assistant director of the Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership; Priya Dozier, faculty director of the Bishop Center; and Lesa Shouse, campus director of Career & Professional Development. In April, the city launched its third cohort of the 12-session program. Shouse facilitated two sessions: "Embrace Your Inner Leader," which guided participants through the Clifton Strengths assessment and strengths-based leadership strategies, and "Team Building – Promoting Healthy Work Teams," focusing on motivating teams, managing conflict and change, and encouraging positive team dynamics. Curtis and Dozier co-led "Understanding Leadership Styles," a session exploring leadership attributes and ethical leadership principles. Participants examined the differences between leadership and management, identified their predominant leadership styles and learned how to adapt their approach to different situations and workgroups. Together, with contributions from public and private sector presenters, these sessions are helping foster a culture of ethical leadership and effective team building within the City of St. Petersburg.
Funded Work Study Positions available at Nonprofits
Through a program called Community-Based Federal Work Study (FWS), local non-profit and public service organizations can host student workers whose wages are funded by federal financial aid. This is more than just a job opportunity; it is a partnership that develops future professionals while supporting an organization’s mission. The FWS program enables eligible students to use their FWS award to support community partners while enhancing their own career readiness. Through this program, community partners act as co-educators, guiding students in developing valuable skills for their future careers. FWS offers financial support for part-time employment or internships to students with financial need, providing them with an opportunity to earn money to help cover educational expenses. To be an eligible community-based FWS partner, an organization must be a nonprofit or government agency; offer work that benefits the public good; provide supervised, meaningful work experience; be able to track hours and sign off on student timesheets; and comply with all federal, state and institutional policies.
Career-ready and already employed
Recent graduates from the College of Education are already impacting local classrooms. Many have secured teaching positions with community partners in Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas Counties. The new teachers credit their time at USF St. Petersburg for equipping them with the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience they need to confidently step into their roles this fall.